Derby loan signing Hossam Ghaly insists he had no option but to put club before country for the sake of his career.
Ghaly puts club before country
Derby loan signing Hossam Ghaly insists he had no option but to put club before country for the sake of his career.
Ghaly has decided to reject the chance to feature for Egypt at this month's African Cup of Nations in order to seal a loan move to Pride Park until the end of the season.
The attacking midfielder is keen to impress at Derby as he has been told he has no future at Tottenham.
Ghaly, who revealed he has never spoken to Spurs boss Juande Ramos, has been in exile in Egypt since a summer transfer to Birmingham fell through in controversial circumstances, after then-Blues manager Steve Bruce criticised his attitude.
Opportunity
"This is a chance to prove myself again, from the beginning, to play games," said Ghaly.
"The Premier League is a good opportunity for everyone to prove themselves, so I want to show I can play good football to help me make my next move.
"You don't look at the position of the team, you just focus on doing well, to help the team. It is a relief to be playing first-team football again."
Ghaly has not featured for Spurs since the game with Blackburn last May, when he threw his shirt to the ground in disgust at being replaced having earlier come on as a substitute.
Mistakes
"I was told the problem I made at Tottenham was to throw the shirt down," added Ghaly. "I've been told my future at Tottenham is over now. I went back to Cairo to play games for the national team and to keep fit.
"I didn't mean to insult someone, the fans or anybody, I was only angry with my own performance. I wanted to make it better.
"Everybody can make mistakes - and learn from them. The punishment from Tottenham was very harsh."
Such events have led to Ghaly earning a bad boy reputation but he claims nothing could be further from the truth.
"I'm a quiet person," noted Ghaly. "It's not my character to be aggressive or difficult. I hope on the field I can be aggressive and work hard and make the manager satisfied he has made a good decision."
